Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health problem that leads to great suffering as well as significant costs to the people afflicted with this disorder and to society. PTSD is a chronic and disabling problem that develops after a trauma. People with PTSD suffer from problems controlling several types of emotion, including fear, anxiety, anger, and depression. The risk of developing PTSD is higher in the U.S. military than in the general U.S. population with about 19% of people in military suffering from this problem during their lifetime. By employing a team of experts in a wide range of areas of study, this research aims to improve treatments for veterans and people in the military with PTSD resulting from combat.

The research team will investigate a new idea that individuals suffering from combat-related PTSD can be trained to control activity in brain regions that are involved in emotion. This increased ability to control emotion-related brain areas will reduce PTSD symptoms. Researchers also will use novel research techniques termed real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) and electroencephalography (EEG), which will allow them to analyze brain activity as it occurs. And then they will able to show people information about activity in the brain as it happens, which helps them learn to control it.

The goal is to transform this novel research and technique into a treatment that can be easily deployed and will improve the treatment of combat-related PTSD and the mental health of our veterans and people in the military both in the short- and long-term. This research would provide both mental healthcare providers and scientists with new insights into how the brain is involved in combat-related PTSD.